Slick 'N Easy Review

The Short Version: We like it for scraping off bot
eggs. It works and it's inexpensive.

Disclosure: Here at CowboyWay.com we purchased the
product reviewed on this page with our own money. The opinions expressed here are
our own.

Review

Here at CowboyWay.com we wanted to know if the Slick 'N Easy Horse Grooming
Block would work efficiently for removing bot eggs from horse hair. We had used
the Slick 'N Easy occasionally in the past, but really didn't remember
too much about it, and for several years had just scraped bot eggs off with
our pocket knife.

About Bot Eggs: If you're a horse owner you
probably know that bot flies lay their eggs on a horse's hair (commonly on the
legs but in other locations as well) in the late summer and fall. When a horse
rubs its nose on the eggs they are transferred to the mouth and ingested, which
results in internal parasite infestation for the horse. While a horse can
be given a "boticide" to kill the parasites, it's a good idea
to remove bot eggs from the horse's hair to minimize the amount
of eggs they ingest in the first place.

The Slick 'N Easy Horse Grooming Block - General Info

The
Slick 'N Easy Horse Grooming Block is a gently abrasive, pumice-like
black block. It's main purpose is for general grooming. The package doesn't
mention anything about using it for removing bot eggs, but it's commonly used
for that purpose.

Below: The Slick 'N Easy Horse Grooming Block, front of the package.

The back of the package tells you how to use the Slick 'N Easy: Remove it
from the package and scrape the edge of it along the horse's hair in short,
vigorous strokes. When it gets dull, scrape it along a raspy surface, like
concrete, to restore a sharp edge.

Below: The Slick 'N Easy, back of the package.

Below: The Slick 'N Easy, out of the package. There's
not much to it; it's just a gritty, slightly abrasive block.

Using The Slick 'N Easy

Like the information on the back of the package instructed, we used
the edge of the Slick 'N Easy to scrape our horse's legs where we
could see bot eggs. We didn't have to press hard and it removed a noticeable
amount of eggs with each stroke. The narrow edges of the block were easy
to get into the grooves and contours of the horse's legs and the horse
stood comfortably while we were removing the eggs. While our pocket knife or
the Horse Shave (Horse Shave review) would have
worked faster, the Slick 'N Easy worked fast enough and didn't leave
any shaved marks like we occasionally make with our knife or the Horse Shave.

We did notice that you had to have a fresh, sharp edge on the Slick 'N
Easy to do a good job. When an edge gets smoothed and rounded you have to
turn it and use a different, sharp edge to work efficiently. When all the edges
are smoothed and rounded you need to scrape the Slick 'N Easy along an abrasive surface,
like concrete, to restore its sharp edges. It makes an odd smell when you scrape
it, and using it in general leaves a bit of odor and a gritty residue on your hand
when you're done.

Below: Bot eggs on our horse before using the Slick 'N Easy.

Below: Bot eggs - or, actually, no more bot eggs - on the
same horse after using the Slick 'N Easy Horse Grooming Block.

The Slick 'N Easy - Our Opinion

This is a nice product. Not a wowee, holy cow, life changing product,
but it is handy for removing bot eggs. In the past we had mostly used a
pocket knife to shave bot eggs off the hair. While the knife works well
we can sometimes leave nicks or shaved marks in the hair on our horse's
legs. The Slick 'N Easy was also a little easier to maneuver into some
spots on our horse's legs than a pocket knife, and we didn't have
to be as careful with it as we did a knife.

The Slick 'N Easy scraped off the bot eggs without leaving any shave
marks, and it was fast and easy to use. It does wear down and need
replaced every so often, but it's inexpensive and available at a lot of
different horse supply stores.

Summary

We like the Slick 'N Easy Horse Grooming Block for removing bot eggs.
While it didn't remove as many bot eggs per stroke as a pocket knife
or the Horse Shave (Horse Shave review) it still
worked quickly.

The Slick 'N Easy Horse Grooming block scraped bot eggs off of
our horses' hair instead of shaving them off the hair. Scraping, instead
of shaving, means we didn't leave any accidental shaved marks or grooves
on our horses.

The Slick 'N Easy Horse leaves a gritty residue in
our hands after use. Not a huge deal, but a bit annoying.

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